Trips, Visits and Events
The Berlin Trip
November 9th -13th
- The Students at the Cecilienhof Schloss
Our arrival in Berlin on the anniversaries of Crystal Night and the fall of the Berlin Wall set the tone.
These were five days when text book history came to life....
The pre-1945 era of German History was traced from the beautiful summer palace of Frederick II at Sans Souci serving as a literary and cultural centre, through the military and industrial rise of Prussia to European eminence and the central force of German Unification. The full impact of life during the Third Reich was explained by excellent guides at the Bendlerblock, the Jewish Museum and this was followed by a memorable experience of a visit to Sachenhausen.
- The students by the Spree on the Oberbaumbrucke
The effects of the Second World War were demonstrated on many occasions. The Post 1945 world was ushered in at the Cecilienhof Schloss in Potsdam, where we followed the footsteps of Stalin, Churchill/Attlee and Truman to the conference table to make decisions which would shape the new world order. The division and repression which evolved in Berlin and East Germany were often compared with the experiences of the Third Reich by our guides and was further outlined at the DDR and Checkpoint Charlie Museums.
Indeed, it was the general searching into the past for answers in order to shape the future which struck us all. The sheer dynamism of reunification and the exciting developments in Berlin today could only be experienced by actually being there.
...And so much more.......
- The Reichstag ‘by night’
Architectural projects - the Jewish Museum, the Norman Foster Dome of the Reichstag building, the Sony Centre at the Potsdamer Platz. Jeff Koons original exhibits scattered around the city, ice- skating on the open-air rink in the Marlene-Dietrich-Platz. Finally, the outstanding performance by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Simon Rattle at the impressive concert Hall at the Kulturforum was an experience which will be long remembered.
Many thanks to I. Lehre and M. Ebert for their support in our venture. Also for their fascinating guided tour of Berlin with presentations given by students from the German Section.
Our thanks also go to the 20 students who accompanied us. Their involvement and interest exceeded expectations. We now look forward to seeing the results of the filming done during the trip!
Dernière modification le 17-03-09 par
